Chapter 1

I was starving after working late, so I ripped open a bag of spicy chips.

That's when Sharon, my manager, absolutely blew her top.

She darted over, pointing a finger right at my face.

"Harper! Is this your personal kitchen? If you want to snack, do it on your own damn time!"

"And that $200,000 commission you were expecting this month? Forget about it!"

I stared at her face, contorted with rage, and calmly popped another spicy chip into my mouth.

"Oh, whatever."

Then, right in front of her, I pulled out my phone, opened a job hunting app, and started browsing.

That made her panic.

"Harper, don't be impulsive, that's not what I meant."

Sharon's face, which had been bright red, instantly drained to white.

The woman who’d just been yelling in my face now forced a smile that looked more like a grimace.

I couldn't be bothered with her.

My fingers flew across the job hunting app on my phone.

I even clicked on a listing for a position that explicitly stated "$300,000 salary," perusing it with an almost theatrical interest.

"Let's talk this through calmly. We're colleagues in the same department; no need to make things so hostile."

Sharon's voice softened, laced with an attempt to appease me.

I didn't even bother to look up.

"Sharon, you're the one who made things hostile."

"You work late, I work late with you. I get hungry and eat a bag of spicy chips, and you want to deduct my $200,000 commission."

"Now I'm looking for a new job, and you're telling me not to be impulsive."

"I'm not quite following your logic."

My tone was as flat as if I were discussing the weather.

The other colleagues still working overtime in the office didn't dare to breathe.

Each of them had their ears practically glued to our conversation.

Sharon's face cycled through shades of green and white.

Clearly, she'd never been so publicly humiliated by a subordinate.

She took a deep breath, trying to regain some composure. "Harper, I know you work hard, but this is still a corporate office. It doesn't look good."

"I was just speaking out of anger earlier. We can revisit the commission."

"Revisit?"

I finally looked up, meeting her eyes directly.

"Are you saying you never intended to give me the full $200,000?"

Sharon's gaze flickered, and she stammered,

"What do you mean… it's what you earned, but there are always procedures, right?"

I smiled.

I got it.

The $200,000 commission was mine from the company, but it needed her, the department manager, to sign off on it.

She wanted a cut.

The spicy chips were just an excuse she found to intentionally make things difficult.

I couldn't even be bothered to argue with her anymore.

I picked up my phone.

And directly clicked "Connect" on that $300,000 job listing.

"You!"

Sharon was trembling with fury.

I slowly stood up, gathering my personal items from my desk one by one into a cardboard box.

My water bottle.

My little plant.

My keyboard, my mouse…

With each item I packed, Sharon's face grew darker.

Her sycophantic colleague, Tiffany, leaned over and whispered in Sharon's ear,

"Sharon, she's just trying to scare you. $200,000 commission? She'd never walk away from that."

Sharon seemed to find some sense in that, her expression softened a bit, and she straightened up, regaining her managerial stance.

She cleared her throat and put on her manager's air again.

"Harper, don't take this too far. I know you've contributed to the company, but the company isn't indispensable to you."

I didn't say anything, just quietly continued packing.

Once everything was packed, I picked up the box and walked over to her.

"Sharon, could you please move?"

Sharon froze. She hadn't expected me to actually go through with it.

"Harper, if you walk out that door today, you won't get a single penny of that $200,000!"

She blustered, but her voice wavered.

I stopped, turning back to look at her.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you."

"The HR person I just connected with asked if I'd be interested in bringing my team over."

"Salary, double."

With that, I didn't look back at her instantly pale face. I carried my box and walked out of the office without another glance.

Behind me, there was a deathly silence.

And the sharp crack of a cup shattering.